U.S. patent number 4,271,825 [Application Number 06/047,784] was granted by the patent office on 1981-06-09 for solar energy collector.
This patent grant is currently assigned to Phenol Engineering S.a.r.l.. Invention is credited to Bruno J. Busschaert, Claude A. M. Ivorra, Alain L. C. Schwob.
United States Patent |
4,271,825 |
Schwob , et al. |
June 9, 1981 |
Solar energy collector
Abstract
A solar energy collector includes an absorber and connecting
pipes which are to go to a utilization installation. A cover for
the absorber is provided by a first shell, which is transparent and
has a peripheral flange. The absorber is carried on a sheet of
thermally insulating material which is positioned over a plate of
phenol foam. The plate is positioned in a second sheet, which may
be molded in the same mold as the first shell and also as a
peripheral flange. The sheet of insulating material is sufficiently
large and so shaped so that its edges may be clamped between the
peripheral flanges of the two shells. Joining members extend along
the peripheral flanges of the shells and hold the edge portions of
the sheet of insulating material between them.
Inventors: |
Schwob; Alain L. C. (Meyzieu,
FR), Busschaert; Bruno J. (Lyons, FR),
Ivorra; Claude A. M. (Decines, FR) |
Assignee: |
Phenol Engineering S.a.r.l.
(Villeurbanne, FR)
|
Family
ID: |
9209531 |
Appl.
No.: |
06/047,784 |
Filed: |
June 11, 1979 |
Foreign Application Priority Data
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Jun 9, 1978 [FR] |
|
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78 17860 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
126/705; 126/569;
126/709; 126/906; 126/706; 126/904 |
Current CPC
Class: |
F24S
80/70 (20180501); F24S 80/65 (20180501); F24S
80/30 (20180501); F24S 80/457 (20180501); B32B
29/007 (20130101); B32B 27/365 (20130101); F24S
10/50 (20180501); B32B 27/065 (20130101); B32B
5/18 (20130101); B32B 27/10 (20130101); F24S
10/00 (20180501); Y10S 126/906 (20130101); B32B
2355/02 (20130101); B32B 2307/304 (20130101); Y10S
126/904 (20130101); B32B 2307/306 (20130101); Y02E
10/44 (20130101); B32B 2457/00 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
B32B
27/10 (20060101); F24J 2/46 (20060101); F24J
2/20 (20060101); F24J 2/51 (20060101); F24J
2/00 (20060101); F24J 2/04 (20060101); F24J
003/02 () |
Field of
Search: |
;126/450,449,446,445,444,443,432 ;165/82,171 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Foreign Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Yeung; James C.
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Browdy & Neimark
Claims
We claim:
1. In a solar energy collector having a carrying structure of
thermally insulating material in the shape of a rectangular plane
panel, an absorber supported by said structure, connecting pipes
going through said structure for connection to a liquid utilization
installation, and a transparent cover in the shape of a first shell
defining an outside wall and positioned over said structure and
housing said absorber, the improvement comprising a second shell of
suitable plastic material defining an outer wall and a sheet of
thermally insulating, heat-resistant material, wherein said
carrying structure of thermally insulating material is made up of a
phenol foam plate sandwiched between said second shell of suitable
plastic material and said sheet of thermally insulating,
heat-resistant material, said second shell and said first shell
constituting the cover of the collector and each being provided
with a respective peripheral flange, said pipes extending through
said sheet of thermally insulating, heat-resistant material, said
carrying structure and said second shell, said thermally
insulating, heat-resistant sheet being provided with a peripheral
extension positoned between said flanges of said shells, including
means for fastening said first shell to said second shell along
their said peripheral flanges as a single joint and means for
supporting said absorber free of contact with said outside
walls.
2. An improved collector according to claim 1, wherein said means
for fastening provides a fluid-tight joint.
3. An improved collector according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein
said sheet of thermally insulating, heat-resistant material is
cardboard made up of cellulose fibers bonded by at least one
organic binder.
4. An improved collector according to claim 3, wherein said binder
is butadiene.
5. An improved collector according to claim 1 or claim 12, wherein
said peripheral flange of each said shell comprises a plane portion
located in the plane of opening of the corresponding said shell and
edged by a respective lip so inclined that it extends away from
said plane.
6. An improved collector according to claim 5, wherein said means
for fastening said shells is at least one member of square or
rectangular section exhibiting a longitudinal groove substantially
of T-shape.
7. An improved collector according to claim 6, wherein each wing of
said member includes a flexible lip positioned against a side wall
of a respective one of said shells.
8. An improved collector according to claim 1 or claim 12, wherein
said second shell is made of acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene
(ABS).
9. An improved collector according to claim 1 or claim 12, wherein
said first shell constituting the cover is made of
polycarbonate.
10. A collecting array comprising a plurality of solar energy
collectors according to claim 1 or claim 2, and wherein said means
for fastening comprise adjacent joining members of adjacent ones of
said solar energy collectors, said adjacent joining members being
fixed to one another.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to an improvement in solar energy collectors
of the type described in French patent No. 77 24 147 of Aug. 1,
1977.
The solar energy collector described in above-mentioned French
patent is made of a carrying structure of thermally insulating
material in the shape of a rectangular plane panels, an absorber
fastened to this structure and connected to the installation by
connecting pipes going through said structure and a shell-shaped
transparent cover able to cover the structure by acting as the
housing for the absorber and fastened to the carrying structure by
a suitable technique.
As indicated in the French patent, this known solar energy
collector has the advantage of costing less than previously known
ones.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention aims at cutting the cost more without
reducing the output of the pickup.
For this purpose, according to the improvement to which the
invention relates, the carrying structure of thermally insulating
material is made of a phenol foam plate sandwiched between an
outside shell of suitable plastic such as
acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene (ABS) and a sheet of
heat-resistant, thermally insulating material, such as cardboard,
this outside shell being provided with a peripheral flange making
possible its assembly with a fluid-tight to a second shell which
functions as a cover for the absorber and has a complementary
peripheris flange joint.
This device has the advantage, in comparison with the one described
and claimed in the patent cited, of absorbing expansion differences
due to the heating differences without harming the fluid tightness
and output of the solar energy collector.
Advantageously, the peripheral flange of each shell comprises a
plane part located in the plane of the corresponding shell opening
under consideration and edged by a lip inclined so as to go away
from the plane.
Thus, for assembly of the carrying structure and cover of a solar
energy collector, it suffices to engage on the flanges, applied
against one another, preferrably with the sheet of insulating
material therebetween of the two shells of this solar energy
collector a fluid-tight joint member of rubber or the like of
square or rectangular section and exhibiting a groove of
approximately T-shaped section.
This type of assembly offers the advantage of tolerating a certain
sliding of one flange in relation to the other which considerably
reduces the risks of breaking due to expansion differences which,
themselves are due to heating differences.
This solar energy collector further makes it possible to assemble
in a fluid-tight manner two pickups according to the invention with
double flanges.
Preferably, to make it possible to create an air space between the
assembly joint and the shells of the pickup, by contributing to
obtaining a better fluid tightness, according to an advantageous
embodiment of the invention, each wing of the assembly joint
exhibits a flexible lip applied against the side wall of the
corresponding shell.
According to another characteristic of the invention, the shell
constituting the pickup cover is made of polycarbonate, this
material having the advantage of trapping infrared rays possibly
reemited by the absorber and which are of a different wavelength
from those emitted by the sun.
By this arrangement, the output of the solar energy collector of
the present invention is improved still more.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
In any case, the invention will be better understood from the
following description with reference to the accompanying drawing
figures, showing by way of non-limiting example, an embodiment of a
solar energy collector according to the invention wherein:
FIG. 1 is a pictorial view in cross section of a solar energy
collector according to the invention;
FIG. 2 is, on an enlarged scale, a partial view in cross section of
the area of assembly of the two shells of a solar energy collector,
showing a joining member associated with the shells.
FIG. 3 is a partial view similar to FIG. 2 showing a mode of
assembly of two juxtaposed solar energy collectors.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
As shown in FIG. 1, a carrying structure 2 of thermally insulating
material and having the shape of a rectangular flat panel to
support an absorber 3, is made of a plastic foam plate 2a
sandwiched between a sheet 12 of heat-resistant, thermally
insulating material and an outside shell of the same shape as a
shell 6 constituting the solar energy cover. Input pipes 4 and
output pipes 5 go through the carrying structure 2, i.e., the sheet
12, the phenol foam plate 2a and a shell 13 which holds the plate
2a.
By this arrangement, the making of the carrying structure of solar
energy collector is facilitated still more since it suffices to
make the shell 13 with the same mold as that used for making the
transparent cover 6 and to pour into this shell 13, the material
which forms the phenol foam plate 2a which is then covered with the
sheet 12. The shell 13 is advantageously made of
acrylonitrile-butadienestyrene (ABS).
The sheet 12 is advantageously made of cardboard, composed of
cellulose fibers bonded by organic binders such as butadiene and
sold on the market under the trademark CELLODERM.
Each of the shells 7 and 13 is provided with a peripheral flange
facilitating their assembly; and preferably the sheet 12 is
extended so as to be fastened between the flanges of the shells 6
and 13.
The drawing shows an advantageous embodiment of this peripheral
flange of the shells 6 and 13. In this embodiment, the flange of
each shell 6 or 13 comprises a plane part 6a and 13a, respectively,
located in the plane of the opening of the corresponding shell
considered and edged by a lip 6b and 13b, respectively, inclined or
bent back so as to go away from the plane which also constitutes
the plane of joining of the two shells 6 and 13.
FIG. 2 shows a mode of assembly of the shells 6 and 13 with a
fluid-tight joint using a joining member or members 14 with an
approximately square section and exhibiting a longitudinal groove
15 with a T-shaped section able to engage on the flanges 6a, 6b and
13a, 13b of the shells 6 and 13. It is to be understood that a
respective member 14 extends along each side and each end of the
abutted shells 6 and 13 only one being visible in FIG. 2.
This solution offers not only the advantage of making a simple
assembly possible but also the advantage of making possible
relative movements between the two shells 6 and 13 that undergo
different expansions because of the different temperatures to which
they are subjected. It should further be noted that the heat shocks
caused by the passage of clouds on the shell 6, which constitutes
the solar energy collector cover, can be brutal and the tolerance
of the relative movements between the two shells offers the
considerable advantage of reducing the risks of breaking. Actually,
if the shape of the shell 6 already described in the
above-mentioned French patent offers the advantage of facilitating
deformations due to the phenomenon of expansion of the material,
the assembly of the two shells 6 and 13 with the joint provided by
joining member 14 makes possible a sliding of the flange of one
shell in relation to that of the other, which has only the effect
of causing a transient deformation of the joining member 14.
According to another interesting characteristic of the invention,
each wing of the joining member 14 carries along its free edge a
flexible and very deformable lip 14a which, being applied to the
corresponding shell 6 or 13 contributes to improving the fluid
tightness of the pickup. This fluid tightness is useful because it
prevents penetration of moist air under the cover shell 6 of the
solar energy collector which is advantageous since, moist air being
a better conductor of heat than dry air, this would facilitate the
redispersion of the calories received by the absorber 3.
Another advantage linked to the shape of the joining member or
members 14 resides in the presence of the formation of an air space
in groove 15 and along lips 14a, which again reduces the loss of
heat on the periphery of the solar energy collector.
Finally, according to another characteristic of the invention, the
cover shell 6 is made of a polycarbonate. This product actually has
the property of stopping infrared rays and it has been found that
the infrared rays for which it constitutes a barrier are those
whose wavelength corresponds to those emitted by the absorber 3 and
not those emitted by the sun.
Thus, the cover shell 6 therefore offers the advantage of letting
the infrared rays emitted by the sun to pass and which are used for
heating the fluid carried in the absorber, but, on the other hand,
it corrects on the inside of the pickup the infrared rays emitted
by the absorber 3 thus eliminating a risk of additional heat
dissipation.
FIG. 3 shows a mode of assemblying two juxtaposed solar energy
collectors according to a variant of the invention. This mode of
assembly consists in locking between double flanges 16, joints
formed by joining members 14 corresponding to the adjacent edges of
two juxtaposed solar energy collectors. Thus, it is possible to
achieve a fluid-tight bond between juxtaposed solar energy
collectors; for this it suffices to give wings 16a of the upper
double flange an edge rim 16b which, slightly penetrating into one
of joining members 14, assures the desired fluid tightness.
It goes without saying and has been brought out above, the
invention is not limited to the sole embodiment of a solar energy
collector described above by way of a non-limiting example; rather,
it encompasses all other possible embodiments and variants, its
scope being defined by the appended claims.
* * * * *